Bridgeport native Cindy Eastman is the author of ìFlip-Flops After Fifty: And Other Thoughts on Aging I Remembered to Write Down.î The book, her first, is a heartwarming, funny and inspirational collection of essays on coming to terms with aging and change. less

Bridgeport native Cindy Eastman is the author of ìFlip-Flops After Fifty: And Other Thoughts on Aging I Remembered to Write Down.î The book, her first, is a heartwarming, funny and inspirational collection of ... more

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Author Cindy Eastman doing signing

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Finally, an event where flip-flops are considered proper attire.

"Flip-Flops After 50: And Other Thoughts on Aging I Remembered to Write Down" is the name of Cindy Eastman's new book. The Bridgeport native and Watertown resident will stop in Bethel this week for a discussion and signing.

And, yes, you're invited to wear your flip-flops.

Eastman will visit Byrd's Books on Friday, May 2. She said folks who come out for the signing can definitely expect to have a good time.

"Flip-Flops After 50" ($16.95, SWP) gets readers thinking about topics that affect most everyone. Who hasn't dealt with emotions from family events or stress from a lousy job? What about the bittersweet feeling when kids grow up and leave home? Not to mention body image, high school reunions and parenting.

Eastman suggests attitudes change for the better after 50 and that making decisions gets easier, though there's no guarantee that life does. She discussed "Flip-Flops After 50" in a recent interview:

Q: How did this book come to be?

A: I have always been a writer, in some form or another, and writing is my most effective form of communication, as well as the way I best process my thoughts. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and brought up a lot of memories of my late college roommate and I wrote about losing her. It was one of those infamous wake-up calls: If I wanted to be a published writer, I had better get to work at it. ... I started posting my essays on a website I named after my master's thesis, "Writing Out Loud." Eventually, I got the idea that I could turn a collection of my essays into an actual published book.

Q: When is your birthday, and how old are you now?

A: My birthday is Feb. 11, and I turned 56 this year. Why? Are there presents involved?

Q: Considering that turning 50 means you've been blessed to be on this earth for half a century, which statement rings true for you? A or B?

A) I thought at 50 I would know more about life and all its mysteries.

B) I feel like I finally understand life and what's important and how to make the most of my time.

A: I think B is most accurate, and mostly the second part, at that. I don't think I can claim to understand life yet, and probably less so than many other people.

I believe that I'm not meant to understand it all right now. Life is too complex for anyone to reach a certain age and suddenly gain some insight into it all.

But I do believe that I have begun to understand how to make the important things important and let the "small stuff" fall right off my plate.

There is a certain attitude, I think, that develops after one reaches a certain age, that says, "I just can't give my energy to this particular nonsense anymore." That, or I just forget to get upset about it.

Q: Tell us about one of your favorite essays in the book.

A: I think one of my favorites is "Alone Again, Naturally" because it signaled a turning point in my life. After I was separated, I had a hard time knowing who I was and then, after a point, I had a better idea. It wasn't a lightning bolt from the sky, but there was a certain feeling of, "Oh, hey, things are different now. And I like it."

Q: What is one part in your book that always makes you (or others) laugh?

A: Readers have pointed out other passages in the book that have made them laugh out loud, but one of the essays that always makes me chuckle aloud is "Work, Work, Work." And then I quickly look around and make sure no one saw me laughing at my own book. Although I guess that should be OK.